This episode is two for the price of one. Tim and Shawn first discuss when and how to do a 2nd edition of a book and then they move into discussing Tim's changes to the Beginning Hook of his novel as he continues to race towards the finish line.

Steven Pressfield and Black Irish Publishing have released a new project around writers and Resistance. Shawn and Tim discuss both what the project is and the bigger ramifications for the world of publishing.

We all can agree that writing is hard. Learning to level up your writing is even harder. So why all the suffering? Why not just publish a draft that's "good enough"? This is what Shawn and Tim dive into on this week's episode.

A huge part that makes a scene work is the value shifts. They have to work in the scene, the global genre, the internal genre, etc. Shawn walks Tim through how to think about this with his Turning Point Scene of the Middle Build. See Tim's scene at storygrid.com/podcast.

Tim is struggling with stepping back into his fiction book now that he's taken a few months off to finish his non-fiction book. Shawn walks him through how to do it. Plus, a special announcement! See more at storygrid.com/podcast

Ryan Holiday is the author of eight bestselling books and is quickly becoming one of the most prolific writers of our time. In this interview, Ryan shares his processes for writing and editing his books.

There are a lot of commonly held myths about publishing that often derail writers. Shawn and Tim bring their unique perspective to what writers should know about the publishing world and how it really works.

This is episode 96. We're almost to the two year anniversary of the show. Tim spends a bit of time reflecting on the past, present, and future of the Story Grid Podcast. To share your story, visit storygrid.com/tell

Non-fiction has specific genres, conventions, and obligatory scenes just like fiction, but they are, of course, a little different. Shawn and Tim delve into what it takes to write a great non-fiction book. See more at storygrid.com/podcast

After the first draft is done, it's easy to get stuck on what to do next. Shawn continues walking Tim through the process of using the Story Grid spreadsheet. You can see the spreadsheet in the show notes for this episode at storygrid.com/podcast.

Tim has officially finished his first draft... now what? This is where Story Grid really shines... taking your first draft and making it the best it can be. To see Tim's Story Grid Spreadsheet visit storygrid.com/podcast

The Middle Build is done. The Ending Payoff has begun. It took Tim four tries to get the first scenes of the Middle Build right. How long will it take him to get the Ending Payoff right? Download Tim's scenes at storygrid.com/podcast

After a long slog and a few weeks off, Shawn and Tim dive into the final scenes and sequences of the Middle Build. There's plenty of good, bad, and "just cut the whole scene." Download Tim's scenes at storygrid.com/podcast.

How do you pace your story to keep readers interesting without moving too fast? Shawn and Tim discuss the correct way to progressively complicate your scenes and sequences to write a killer Middle Build. Download Tim's scenes at storygrid.com/podcast.

Tim gets much closer with his rewrite of the sequence, but there's still plenty to dial in. How do you identify these moments and how do you make them work? Shawn answers in this episode. Download Tim's scenes at storygrid.com/podcast.

Shawn and Tim recently spoke at Tribe Conference 2016. This is a recording of that talk. They discuss going pro, the hero's journey, and several other topics. It's a fun episode! You can see the video of the talk at storygrid.com/podcast

Tim makes the mistake of diving into his middle build before he's really planned out the world. Shawn walks him through how to do this and what makes a great world for your novel. Download Tim's scenes at storygrid.com/podcast

Once you have a working Beginning Hook, it's time to move into the Middle Build. This makes up 50% of your book and can be overwhelming at the start. Shawn and Tim discuss how to dive in. Download Tim's scene at storygrid.com/podcast.

This week we talk with PhD candidate Andy Reagan who is one of the researchers behind the Hendonometer Shawn and Tim discussed a couple weeks ago. Andy shares where they are at with the research and they discuss the implications for writers in the future.

A good developmental editor is mentoring an author through their book. That comes with some basic frustrations, especially when the editor is coaching a newbie like Tim. Shawn shares his views on this along with his new math equation... M + TEⁿ = IF.

How do you get the stakes and tone of your scene right? As Tim begins to understand how to write a better scene, he struggles with going to far. Shawn works with him on how to write a great opening scene that doesn't go too far.

This is the first episode that Tim gets noticeably frustrated. Shawn is trying to teach him how to avoid cliches, hit the right conventions for his genre, and make sure his character's motivations are clear. Unfortunately, Tim is having a hard time catching on.

This is an epic episode. Shawn and Tim talk through finding a marketable genre and how to build a book that fits. Then, once the episode was over, they keep talking with the mics on for another half hour. This is a great behind-the-scenes episode.

After a week of Tim floundering with his first draft, Shawn starts to rescue him from the pit of despair. Of course, they go back to genre to find the way home. This is a wide ranging episode on how you can start picking up the pieces of your first draft.

Shawn and Tim discuss unconventional ways to become a better writer. Topics include chicken sexing, Deliberate Practice, and many other things. Also, Tim's now trying to track down a cadaver he can use.

A wide ranging episode where Shawn and Tim discuss a new way to think about beginning hooks, the high concept "What if?" pitch, when to open the door and get other writer's feedback, and how the "Power of 10" will help your editing process.

What is your theme or controlling idea, and how does it help you tell a better story? Tim and Shawn also discuss how to avoid getting caught in analysis-paralysis and how to build your world the right way.

As Tim begins to plot and outline his story, he gets Shawn's input on exactly how to do it. This process is filled with potential time wasters and distractions, and Shawn helps Tim avoid them. See Tim's initial outline and other downloads at storygrid.com/podcast.

Talking about Story Grid is one thing, putting it into practice is quite another. Tim struggles with applying Story Grid to Harry Potter. In addition, specificity, ins and outs of publishing, and more.

Shawns critiques (rips apart) Tim's first scene. Along the way, they discuss Agatha Christie, Wes Craven, Hemingway, and Freddy Krueger. See full show notes at storygrid.com/podcast to download and read Tim's first scene.